Major traffic disruption will begin this week as a main artery through Southall will be closed westbound until Christmas.

The biggest part of the Southall Big Plan project will see the broadway turned into a one way system for five months with traffic being diverted down Lady Margaret Road.

Residents are anticipating that the development will cause ‘complete mayhem’ in the area with roads becoming completely gridlocked.

However Ealing Council maintain that the £11 million project is vital to reduce the alarming number of pedestrian casualties, which is currently at just over one per month.

The 2012 consultation for the Southall Big Plan had a 13 per cent response rate with two thirds voting in favour of the improvements.

Quadrant Residents Association spokesperson Mr Sharma said: “This next phase of the development is going to cause complete mayhem. The roads through Southall are already at a virtual standstill as, over the years, we have seen a big increase in people driving through the area. Lady Margaret Road is already gridlocked at peak times. Southall traffic is notoriously bad and as soon as schools go back in September it will be a nightmare.

“The other aspect that we are all worried about is that with the widening of the pavements the businesses will extend their stalls further out into the street which causes the pedestrians to have to walk off the pavement into traffic, which has been the cause of many fatalities. The council must crack down on the use of illegal stalls on the walk way for this scheme to work.”

Council Leader Julian Bell said: “Unfortunately, you can’t make an omlette without cracking some eggs. This is a much needed positive project that will transform Southall into a safer and more attractive place to shop. The level of casualties has simply been unacceptable and something had to be done. With this scheme we hope to reduce these accidents by 40 per cent. We are very pleased with how quickly the development is progressing as we are five months ahead of schedule. The disruption to the roads is starting over the summer holidays and will be finished before Christmas.

“The council is also very aware of the issue with street traders stalls encroaching out into the pavement which is something that we will be monitoring very closely. If a stall is encroaching onto the public walk way even by an inch we will crack down on them.”

The main changes to the area will be: better street lights, benches and bins; trees planted; four islands in the middle of the road making it safer to cross; narrower road lanes to slow traffic with no more stop start at traffic lights.

Shops and businesses will remain open but buses running through Southall will be affected. Bus routes 207, 427, 607 and N207 will be diverted or not run their full route between Southall and Hayes, and will not stop at certain bus stops and may be delayed. The diversion through Lady Margaret Road is estimated to add an extra 20 minutes onto journey times as the council advise people to allow extra time, plan alternative routes and avoid peak hours.